Discipline Born of Love

Read Ezekiel 25:1 through 28:26

Published: Aug 17, 2017

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered . . . they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God” (Ezekiel 28:25–26).

The Israelites had wandered so far from God, they’d forgotten they were His children. While His punishments of destruction and exile seem harsh, they were necessary to discourage His people from returning to idols for help. In spite of its sin, God loved Israel.

The nations around the people of Israel didn’t understand that Israel’s destruction was an act of God’s love. The people of Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, and Tyre rejoiced as they watched Israel’s destruction. The actions of these mockers resulted in their deaths.

At the end of time, mockers will be condemned to eternal death. But repentant souls will receive God’s grace to live in eternal peace with their Heavenly Father.

Thought for Today: God disciplines His children not out of hatred, but out of a desire to rescue them from the overwhelming power of sin.